After more than 30 years of producing free-range chickens, turkey, ducks, geese and other fowl, the Neubergers have a proven record of successfully raising free-range poultry. Over the years, they have also added lamb, beef, pork and goat meat to the products they offer.

Meadowsweet Market is proud to offer their free-range eggs and chicken.

Goosemobile sells directly to consumers, at Farmer’s Markets, and at retail stores in the area.

“We’ve made many wonderful friends through the business, and they’re good people. In all the years that we’ve sold our products, we never had even one bad check. That says a lot for our customers,” Ruth says.

In recent years, the Neubergers have been delighted to see demand for their products “blossom.” As consumers gain understanding of the quality and health benefits of naturally produced foods, they are choosing those types of products more often.

“We’re really seen an increased demand in the last three years,” Ruth says. “People are becoming more aware of what they’re eating. They’re also learning about programs like Buy Fresh Buy Local, which promotes the type of products we offer.”

Thanks Tom & Ruth for so many years of Goosemobile’s delicious products!

Stan and Gladys Friesen really know how to turn lemons into lemonade. Stan was working on an ethanol fuel recipe in the Friesens’  kitchen when the corn he was cooking suddenly exploded! The result of the ethanol experiment gone awry is Gladcorn, a crunchy corn snack that is a cross between corn nuts and popcorn that is one of most popular products!

Stan & Gladys have been farming near Mountain Lake, MN for over 30 years, growing corn and soybeans, much like Stan’s father before him.  Stan’s desire to live independent from as many outside energy sources as possible led him to the experiment that became Gladcorn. We admire their independent spirit and inventive nature, and are proud to bring you their delicious products. Thank-you, Stan and Gladys!

I always keep a bottle of Castile soap around the house because it has so many different uses. I  just made a batch of what is now my favorite hand soap.

It  takes about 1 minute to make, and costs about $1.

• 2 oz Dr Bronner’s Peppermint Castile Soap                          
  
• 2 oz Grapeseed Oil

(or Olive oil, or whatever you have handy)

• 2 oz Filtered Water

Combine all ingredients in a 6 oz pump container ( I use an old container of face wash) and gently mix by turning the container upside down a few times.  You will want to do this occasionally, as over time, the ingredients will separate. This Hand Soap is very soft, sudsy, and effective. It smells great and castile soap comes in many different scents. You may also get creative and add different essential oils for say, peppermint/lavender scent.

This recipe proved to me that all-natural, biodegradable, earth and people friendly body care does NOT have to be expensive or difficult to make. Enjoy!

1) SLASH THE SODIUM. One of the healthiest things you can do to begin eating healthier is to move away from processed/prepackaged foods, which are preserved with loads of sodium. Here’s what you need to know;  government guidelines recommend that people consume less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day — about one teaspoon of salt. So if you eat three meals a day, you’ll want to stay within 800 milligrams of sodium per meal. This may seem like a daunting task, since a serving of  a prepackage rice dish may have at least 800mg per serving. So unless that half cup of  the San Francisco treat is your WHOLE meal, you will want to find some ways to cut sodium. Tonight, replace that boxed rice side with brown rice. It takes about 20 mins to cook. Once the water is absorbed, add fresh spinach and cover for a few minutes to blanch the spinach, grate some cheddar cheese on top and the sodium content for the dish falls to 170mg, almost all of which is contained in the cheese. Add raw nuts instead, and you have a low sodium side.  Best of all, this dish still only takes one pot to prepare!

If you haven’t seen Food, Inc yet, please check it out on your local PBS station.

Have a very Happy Earth Day Everone!

http://www.pbs.org/pov/foodinc/

We all love our fun in the sun.  And here in the Midwest, it seems especially important to get out and enjoy the nice weather. We get so little of it!  How to protect yourself and your family in the sun can be a confusing choice. To clear things up, first, lets talk a little bit about the sun.  The sun emits both UVA and UVB rays. UVA rays are responsible for the aging effect of the sun; however, overexposure to UVA rays can cause skin cancer.  UVB rays are responsible for sunburns and skin cancer.

Now on to SPF, sun protection factor.  Listed on sunscreens, it generally indicates the additional length of time that someone can spend in the sun before burning. However, an SPF of 40 or 50 is only marginally more protective than an SPF of 15.  An SPF of 30 has only 2% more protection than an SPF of 15, and a 40 has only 1% more than a 30.

Sunscreens need to be reapplied every 90–120 minutes because of how they work in the skin. They take on average 20 minutes to activate in the epidermis and then dissipate over time, hence having to reapply.

Have fun out there!

Join us at Meadowsweet Market on Saturday, April 10th for “An Introduction to Naturopathic Health Care”  with Dr. Adam Graves of Dakota Natural Health.  Dr. Graves  is a licensed Naturopathic Physician and Acupuncturist.  We are so excited that he now has an office in Sioux Falls!  He will discuss the holistic approach to health as well as what to expect from a visit to a Naturopath.  For more information on Dr Graves’ practice, visit dnhealth.com/index.html Then call Meadowsweet at 605 361-5526 for free registration and get your questions ready!

The whole grain of oats is called oat groats.  Oat groats are processed differently depending on what type of oatmeal they are being made into. To make steel-cut oats (also known as Irish oats), the groats are chopped up with steel blades. This allows for a chewier oatmeal. Steel cut oats also retain more protein and fiber from the groat. For Scottish oats, the groats are ground into a meal, which makes a porridge-type oat with a creamier texture. Irish and Scottish oats take about 30 minutes to cook.  To decrease cooking time, soak oats overnight in a covered container.  In the morning, they will cook in just a few minutes. I know this works for steel cut oats, let me know if you have tried it with the Scottish variety.

Rolled (also known as old-fashioned) oats take less time to cook. The groats are softened by steaming, then run through metal rollers to flatten them.  Instant oats are also rolled thin, but are “cooked and then dried again.” With instant oats you just add hot water and stir.

There are many ways to get the best value for your health-conscious dollar.  For instance, if you have to choose which fruits and veggies to buy organic, start with those that have thin skin, apples, peaches, berries, potatoes.  Also, leafy greens are hard to wash thoroughly and  tend to be sprayed with a lot of pesticides, so go organic with those too.   This list is getting long, and since we are all encouraged to eat as much leafy greens as possible, the list is also expensive, which begs the question, is there a middle ground between organic and conventional foods? The answer is yes.   Lets take a look at some alternatives.

First, know where your foods come from.  If you have your own garden, you have the ultimate control over pesticide use.  Don’t have time/space/inclination to garden? you could join a CSA, community supported agriculture, to pick up fresh seasonal foods. This is a way to establish a direct relationship with the people who bring you your food.  However, it also takes more time and effort than going shopping at a store. Luckily,  Meadowsweet Market has been working for 12 years on our relationships with local producers in order to bring you the freshest, healthiest foods we can, with a great variety all under one roof!  Most of our producers would be considered “transitional”, which means that they are either in the process of becoming USDA certified organic, or they simply do not use pesticides.  It’s easy to forget that organic standards are synonymous with the way crops were produced long ago, without the use of pesticides, herbicides, and genetic modifications. On small farms, by families who considered themselves stewards of the land. We are proud to offer not only organic products but also a variety of local foods from producers who are taking this “back to basics” approach to farming.   Their dedication makes healthy foods economically accessible to more people!

Meadowsweet Market has been getting a lot of requests for passionflower lately because it was featured on an episode of Dr. Oz on stress and weight gain.  Passionflower is an herb that has been used since the time of the Aztecs as an antispasmodic and mild sedative.  Today it is a common ingredient in natural relaxation formulas like Traditional Medicinals’ Nighty Night tea.  Passionflower (and the many other effective herbs for relaxation) may assist the body’s management of the physiological symptoms of stress such as muscle tension, sleeplessness and increased cortisol production.  Relief from these symptoms helps set the stage for  loss of excess body weight.  It is important to remember that weight loss, like stress management, is a process that requires a holistic approach for lasting  results.  When you work toward consistently giving your body the nutrition, rest,  and exercise that it needs, herbal supplements may be a very effective way to assist your weight and stress management efforts, by helping to bring balance to body and mind.